A Secret Uncovered
by HaleNewfound
Summary: Jayfeather is having a complicated life when StarClan tells him he has to fall in love with his assistant, Briarlight. Jayfeather can't for two reasons: He's a medicine cat and he's also in love with an acient cat by the name of Half Moon. Jayfeather finds himself lost in this love triangle of love and loss. What'll he do!
1. Chapter 1

**A Secret Uncovered**

_It was a normal day in ThunderClan as Jayfeather and Briarlight went out looking for herbs._ The scent of fresh marigold caught Jayfeather's attention.

"Briarlight, smell that?" He meowed. Jayfeather heard Briarlight shuffle around. He pictured her lifting her head and taking in a large sniff, her amber eyes gleaming.

"Yeah, marigold!" She meowed excitedly.

Jayfeather saw a great opportunity to test Briarlight. "What is marigold used for?" he heard Briarlight scoff.

"Really, Jayfeather? I already know that marigold if used to stop infection." She meowed agitatedly.

Jayfeather pictured her brown tail swishing back and forth in annoyance. He followed the scent until her came upon the WindClan border. He wasn't completely on their side of the territory, just very close.

He bent down to pick up the marigold when he heard a voice hiss his name. "Psst! Jayfeather!" Jayfeather felt himself bristle.

"Who's there?!" He demanded. His fur lay flat as he recognized Kestrelflight's scent. "Oh, Kestrelflight, it's you." He shook his pelt. "What's up?"

The mottled grey tom looked around, before leaping to the ground from a pine tree on the border. "Whitetail is expecting kits and she has a cough. What should I do?"

Jayfeather pondered a bit, then meowed. "If she has a fever, give her feverfew and give her some tansy covered with honey, so it'll be easier for her stomach to accept."

Kestrelflight sighed. "Thanks, Jayfeather." He rested his tail on Jayfeather's shoulder. "You're as wise as an owl." He meowed and rushed off.

Jayfeather sighed and hung his head. _Only because I was trained by the best… Oh, Half Moon… _Jayfeather shook his head.

When Jayfeather and Briarlight got back to camp, Briarlight pressed her muzzle to Jayfeather's shoulder. Briarlight purred lightly.

"You seemed stressed while collecting herbs. Why don't you go lay down, while I bring you some fresh-kill?" She meowed quietly, as if it were a secret.

Jayfeather's heart beat fast. Briarlight's scent flowed into his nose and made his mouth water. She smelled like herbs and mice. "T-that'd be nice. Thank you, Briarlight." He meowed and padded off to the medicine cats' den. He sleepily stumbled over to his bedding and clawed at the moss until his paws grew tired and he finally collapsed. He curled into a ball and wrapped his tail over his nose.

Jayfeather opened his eyes and saw nothing but green, lush forests and felt warm sun on his pelt. He was in StarClan.

Jayfeather scanned the area for any cat, when he spotted Swiftpaw.

"Swiftpaw!" He called out to the dead apprentice.

The black-and-white tom lifted his head. He rushed over to Jayfeather. "Hi, Jayfeather, what are you doing here?" He meowed.

Jayfeather shrugged. "I was asking myself that exact same question." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Silverstream. "Silverstream," He called out to her.

Silverstream padded over to Jayfeather and rested her muzzle on top of his head. "I must speak with you." She glanced at Swiftpaw. "Alone,"

Swiftpaw's tail drooped and he sulked off. Jayfeather stared up at the she-cat. "What is it?"

A glint of fear clouded Silverstream gaze. "StarClan has been seen the future." She meowed.

Jayfeather tilted his head. "What do you mean?" He meowed confusedly.

Silverstream turned around and flicked her tail for him to follow. Jayfeather rushed after her. They leapt over logs and skirted rocks until they were hovering over ThunderClan. Jayfeather saw his brother, Lionblaze and his mate, Cinderheart sharing tongues.

"They're not who I want you to look at." Silverstream meowed. She turned Jayfeather's head with her tail and made him look at Briarlight. "_She's_ who I want you to look at."

Jayfeather tilted his head. "Briarlight? Why?" His voice had an edge to it. Silverstream was wasting his time.

Silverstream purred a little. "She will have your kits." She meowed.

Jayfeather's eyes widened. He sat up and hissed at Silverstream. "What?! No! That's impossible! I'm a medicine cat!"

Silverstream looked up at him with sad blue eyes. "You can't change what StarClan has set out for you, Jayfeather." She meowed calmly.

Jayfeather clawed at the ground, pulling up the grass. "No! I'll never fall in love with Briarlight! I'm in love with Half Moon! Never!" He yowled at the start-lit sky.

Silverstream shot up and glared at him. "_The Briar will have the Jay's offspring and Lightning will Strike the ground and a Birch will catch Fire, sending Berries to fall swiftly to the ground." _She hissed.

"No! Wait!" Jayfeather called out, but Silverstream had faded. His eyes flashed open, and he returned to darkness. The scent of mouse and Briarlight drifted around the den.

"Jayfeather? I couldn't find your favorite, vole, so I got you a mouse." She meowed. Jayfeather's pelt felt hot and heavy on his bones.

He looked at the ground. "Thanks, Briarlight…" He mumbled. He felt concern crackling through Briarlight's pelt like lightning, mixed with another emotion Jayfeather couldn't comprehend.

He looked up and for a heartbeat; he saw her bright amber eyes, her beautiful, slender face, and her strong shoulders. "Briarlight…" He breathed.

Anticipation sparked in Briarlight's fur. "Yes, Jayfeather?" She meowed. He felt the heat of her fur as she moved closer.

He flexed his claws and dug then into the ground. He wouldn't fall in love with Briarlight, he couldn't! "Never mind, just go." He hissed harshly, probably a little too harsh.

A pained gasp came from Briarlight. He pictured her brown tail drooping and her amber eyes losing their glow, as he heard her drag herself outside.

Jayfeather dug his claws deeper into the ground.

_Oh, Half Moon, what do I do? I only love you! I _can't _love Briarlight!_


	2. Chapter 2: The Confrontaion

The Confrontation

Rain leaking through the roof woke Jayfeather up. His head shot up, blind eyes widened. He shook his head and sneezed as droplets got into his nose. He got to his paws and stretched, his tail quivering with the attempt to loosen his muscles.

He padded toward the den entrance. Along the way, he passed by Briarlight's nest. Her warms scent and the calming sound of her deep, sleepy breathing almost lullabied Jayfeather back to sleep. He leaned down to drink in her scent. Jayfeather's mouth watered as her smell hit the back of his throat. She smelled of berries and warm fresh-kill.

_Great, StarClan, what's wrong with me?_ Jayfeather thought. _If only Half Moon were here. She'd make everything better._

Jayfeather sighed and made the rest of his way out of the den. A light drizzle tipped his whiskers like dew on grass. He lifted his nose in the air. The camp smelled of wet rock and new life.

A sharp hiss caught Jayfeather's attention.

"Watch it, Dewkit!" it was Lionblaze. Cinderheart was with him; her belly was swollen with his kits.

Pain seared his heart as he knew that he'd never get to have the same experience with Half Moon.

He padded over to the fresh-kill pile and plunged his nose into the warm heap of fur and feathers. He nosed around until his nose touched the familiar fur of vole. He latched his teeth on it and pulled it out.

Over the scent of vole, Jayfeather smelled Briarlight dragging herself over to the fresh-kill pile.

"Stop staring, Jayfeather. Your vole will lose its juice." Jayfeather almost jumped out of his pelt.

"Brakenfur!" Jayfeather hissed. "You scared me out of my fur, you mangy flea-bitten mouse-brain!"  
Brakenfur let out a purr of amusement. "That was a lot of insults, Jayfeather. What's eating you?"

_Well, I _was _about to eat my vole, when _you _came in._ Jayfeather thought bitterly to himself. He padded away with a flick of his tail to eat his vole.

Jayfeather sat by the nursery in case anything happened to Cinderheart, and ate his vole hungrily. A snicker caught his attention.

"Hungry, aren't we?"

Jayfeather groaned. "What is it, Greystripe?" Then something sparked in his mind. He shot to his paws. "Is something wrong with Briarlight?! Is her breathing off?" He asked, now finding that he was becoming more worried for the crippled she-cat than he already had been before.

Before Jayfeather could go on, Greystripe put his fluffy tail over Jayfeather's mouth. "She wants to talk to you, actually, something about a sign from StarClan."

Jayfeather's heart lurched. He bolted to the medicine cats' den. Inside, he found Briarlight.

"Jayfeather," She began. "I've had a sign from StarClan." She murmured.

Jayfeather padded a little closer to her. "What did they say?" He meowed, trying to hide the fact that he knew.

"They-" She choked on her words. "They want me to take you as a mate…" She finished. Jayfeather could feel her burning amber gaze scorch his pelt. "And that you were told the same thing…"

_Oh, no…_

"Briarlight, I-"

"Why didn't you tell me about this?!" She hissed. "I thought you were my friend!"

Jayfeather moved closer, but he felt her pull away from him. "Briarlight, I _am_ your friend. I would do anything to make you happy." He sighed. "I wanted to tell you. I actually _wanted_ to be more than friends."

A gasp came from Briarlight. "But, you're a medicine cat!" She insisted. "Surely, you can't!"

Jayfeather squeezed his eyes shut as if her words had raked his face. "Briarlight, I-" He was cut off when a yowl split the air.

"Cinderheart's kits are coming!" Wailed Daisy.

Jayfeather sighed and gathered his herbs. "We'll continue this later." He mumbled through his mouthful of herbs and dashed out of the den.

When Jayfeather got into the nursery, he heard Cinderheart panting hard and yowling with pain.

Jayfeather rushed over to her and placed his paw on her swollen belly. "There are three, maybe." He told technically no one.

The spasms passed through Cinderheart's belly, and a few heartbeats later, Cinderhearts' kits were brought into the world, a grey tom, a golden she-kit, and a white she-kit with a cream-spotted flank. Lionblaze dashed in.

"Welcome, my kits." He purred. Jayfeather's heart ached, knowing that he'd never feel that way. Half Moon didn't exist in this world and Briarlight wasn't an option. He shook his head and exited the nursery to leave his Lionblaze and Cinderheart alone with their kits.

As Jayfeather exited the nursery, Briarlight's warming scent hit his nose. He had to get out of camp! He pushed past Briarlight and stormed out of the camp, pushing past the brambles, cursing as thorns snagged his fur and nipped at his ears. When he got out of camp, he ran to the lake.

Jayfeather must have been so concentrated on getting out of camp that he didn't notice that he'd practically leapt into the lake. He let out a yowl and scrambled to the edge. His claws scrabbled around until they met the pebbly surface of the shore. He pulled himself out of the cool water. Jayfeather shook himself and began to groom his drenched fur.

Jayfeather heard a snort of amusement. "Silly fur-ball." It was Briarlight. She must've followed him! Jayfeather grumbled.

"What do you want, Briarlight?" He mumbled between licks. Briarlight hissed.

"Don't get an attitude with me. You said we'd talk later." She pointed out. "Well, it's later. Let's start talking."

_Fox dung!_ Jayfeather cursed himself. He sighed and washed a paw and dragged it over his ear. "I know… I don't understand what StarClan is thinking!" He hissed. Jayfeather heard Briarlight dragging herself over the rocky ground to him.

Briarlight rasped her tongue over Jayfeather's neck fur. "StarClan must have chosen this path for us for a reason, Jayfeather." She mumbled. "We can't deny that."

Jayfeather had to swallow to suppress a comforted purr. "We can't, Briarlight. And even if we could, _I _can't. I'm a medicine cat!" He insisted. Jayfeather rested his tail tip on Briarlight's limp legs. "With your spine broken, it'll be hard for you to deliver anyways!"

Briarlight purred and nuzzled her head underneath Jayfeather's chin. "I don't care. I- I love you, Jayfeather." She confessed. "I always have."

Suddenly, Jayfeather saw Half Moon. Her green eyes looked pleading. As if she was telling him to do it. She opened her mouth to speak. When she did, it came out as a whisper. _"I will always be with you, my love. Look in the litter, and you will find me."_

"Look in the litter..." Jayfeather repeated. Then it hit him. Half Moon would be in the litter Briarlight would have! Jayfeather tackled Briarlight and covered her face in licks. "Oh, Briarlight! I love you too." He murmured as he nosed her warm fur.

"You do?!" Briarlight sounded shocked. Jayfeather nodded through her fur. Purrs shook his body and made his heart beat as fast as a rabbits. "It wouldn't hurt to try... If StarClan made this decision, it's _got _to!"

Briarlight purred in rhythm with Jayfeather and she licked his cheek. "StarClan has faith in us... Even if we don't"

Jayfeather couldn't stop thinking about Briarlight, or Half Moon's words.

_Look in the litter, and you will find me... _


End file.
